McDonald's Hepatitis A Outbreak Lawsuits - Illinois (2009)

Jul 17 2009

In July and August of 2009, public health officials in the Quad-City region of Illinois identified at least 32 confirmed cases of hepatitis A among residents of Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, Warren, and Woodford Counties. People became ill after eating food purchased from the Milan McDonald’s restaurant and then developing a hepatitis A (HAV) infection, or after coming into contact with infected individuals and contracting a secondary infection. The Rock Island County Public Health Department (RICPHD) identified at least eleven individuals who were hospitalized as a result of the severity of their hepatitis A symptoms.

To prevent the further spread of hepatitis A in the Quad-City area, RICPHD held clinics on July 20 and 21, 2009. Individuals who were exposed to the hepatitis A virus after eating food or beverages at the McDonald’s restaurant in Milan, IL from July 6 - 10, 2009, and on July 13 and 14, 2009, received either hepatitis A vaccine or Immune globulin injections to prevent hepatitis A infection.

On July 21, 2009, Marler Clark filed a class action lawsuit against McDonald’s on behalf of all individuals who received hepatitis A vaccine or Immune Globulin injections as a result of their exposure to food that was potentially contaminated with hepatitis A at the Milan, Illinois McDonald’s restaurant. Individuals eligible to join the class include those who received hepatitis A vaccination or Immune Globulin as a result of (1) their consumption of food that was manufactured and sold by the defendant at its restaurant; or (2) their exposure to, or close proximity with, persons who ate food at the restaurant or who became infected with HAV as a result of consuming contaminated food that was manufactured and sold by McDonald’s. The proposed class consisted of all those persons who obtained the shots, at the clinic or otherwise, following the health department warning.